International cricketer Brian Lara is renowned as the greatest
batsman of the '90s. Born in Trinidad, Lara captained the West Indies this
year at International level and made a return to English County Cricket
captaining for Warwickshire.

He holds the World Test Cricket record of 375 runs, the County Cricket
record of 501 runs not out. In 48 tests he has scored 10 centuries in
4,133 runs at an average of 51.66. Lara was described as "The most
sublimely gifted batsman on the planet" in The Independent on Sundays
Sports Review of the Year.

Lara headlines and stars in this Codemasters game. It also features an
advanced form of in-game commentary by two leading names in the cricket
field: Geoff Boycott and Jonathan Agnew.

Genre

This video game is based on 220-years old rules that govern the game
of cricket all over the world drawn up by the Marylebone Cricket Club
(MCC) in 1788.

Brian Lara Cricket is a number one sports video game brand, first
published on Sega Mega Drive in May 1995. The original game featured
international teams and became an immediate chart number one achieving
record sales of over 100,000 copies in the UK alone. It went on to become
the best-selling video game on any format from July through to September
of that year.

Brian Lara Cricket '96, which introduced County Cricket and World Cup
competition, repeated the original's success with a number one chart
placing and is one of the few titles still available for the Sega Mega
Drive today.

Now the time has finally arrived for the Playstation version.

Graphics

I think that you'll get some idea how realistic this game looks when
I tell you that the rather tasty intro has been constructed using in-game
shots. Why use film footage from the archives when the motion captured
visuals are this good?

Graphically Brian Lara Cricket is a peach. Every player seems to have
their individual mannerisms programmed in to the game. The batsmen don't
just stand there like lame targets... they fidget, wander down the wicket,
flatten a few lumps in the pitch, look around at the field placings ...
it's remarkable. Bowlers wander up to the crease and make their mark
before nonchalantly dragging their feet to their start point as if to
conserve energy... before tearing down the field at top speed and
launching the solid projectile towards the twitching batsman. Even the
umpires stand with hands fidgeting behind their back before motioning to
the scoreboard that a boundary has been struck.

As far as camera angles go I wouldn't advise straying from the default
setting. It is positioned at a three quarter angle in line with both sets
of wickets, very similar to the preferred TV set up. It works perfectly
for both batting and bowling, although can be a little distant when
fielding. Should you wish to tamper with the visual line then there are
many variations such as two side cameras (can't judge the line and
length), helmet camera (can't see the ball pitch), blimp camera (too far
away for accurate striking), reverse camera (difficult to see the ball
when pitched in line with the stumps), two batsman, slips, umpire,
boundary, mid-on, bowler, aerial and action camera. Phew, I think we can
say that every angle has been covered there. There is also the option to
watch an action replay each delivery.

Played in a stunning 3D panoramic environments and complete with
motion-captured movement delivering fluid player animation, the visual
appearance of the game mirrors the more popular way cricket is televised.
Brian Lara Cricket will continue the Lara brand reputation of being the
best adaptation of the English sport for gaming systems.

Sounds and Effects

Don't expect to hear any music in this game... that just wouldn't be
cricket! However the sound effects have been captured and presented
perfectly. As the bowler slowly paces back to his mark the gentle mumble
and muttering of the crowd can always be heard. This eases slightly when
the bowler begins his run up and explodes into rapturous cheers when a
boundary has been struck.

Two of the leading names in the cricket field, Geoff Boycott and Jonathan
Agnew, do a splendid job of setting the scene before each game commenting
on team selection, match history, weather conditions and state of the
pitch. Try to listen attentively for a few tips on whether to bat or field
first. Once play begins they have quite a selection of stories that are
both interesting and comical. Overall the commentary is fairly accurate
but does tend to repeat itself during the longer games.

Playability

The options screen offers a multitude of game styles, facts and
figures that should keep even the most avid boffins satisfied for weeks on
end. You want statistics? Then check out the Teams file where every single
current test player's bat, field or bowling statistics are included for
the Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri
Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe teams.

Within the Settings menu the player can customize his game. Pitch types
can be damp, green, normal, dusty or random. Weather and 'slog mode' may
be switched on/off, while skill levels accommodate all players from the
local village, county or test match standard. Progress and results of
every game that you take part in may be added to the archives files by
simply saving all records and game stats onto the performance tracking
memory card facility.

Of course wading around masses of facts and figures may not exactly be
your cup of tea, therefore we will move right on to the heart of the
action... playing the game. I suggest a visit to the practice nets would
be a sensible introduction. Yes... you do practice in nets... just like
the real deal. You can improve your skills as a left or right handed
batsman where a selection of strokes are available from killing the ball
dead defensively to smashing it for six. Bowling practice caters for off
spinners, leg spinners, fast, medium fast and swing.

If you are one of those players who cannot wait to get straight into the
action then the Quickstart option will allow you to dive immediately into
a game with minimal fuss. For those who wish to choose the specific style
of cricket match then choose from: Friendly, World Cup, World Series,
Knockout or a Test Series. There's also the option to change the course of
history by taking part in a Classic Match. There are ten in all which
range from the historical England vs Australia in 1948, to the more modern
Pakistan vs Sri Lanka in the nineties.

Obviously you may not want to remain sitting in front of the TV screen
for a full six game, five day test series therefore the length of each
game, or series, can be a adjusted to suit your preferences. Should you
decide on playing through a test series a helpful map is available
highlighting the location of each venue.

Before each game the match conditions are displayed showing weather,
cloud, climate and pitch conditions. To help you decide on your first main
decision - the toss of a coin - Geoff Boycott and Jonathan Agnew summarize
and offer helpful hints on the best way to play on a particular ground.

Playing the game is relatively simple. You must first decide whether you
wish to control your fielders when bowling, or leave this to the CPU.
Should you choose to do this then the fielder nearest the ball will react
to your joypad commands allowing him to dive, chase or catch the ball. I
would seriously advise you to leave this to the CPU until all other
aspects of the game have been well practised.

To begin bowling you must first select the type of bowler you wish to use
from your squad of players. A small icon, that is directed by the D-pad,
will constantly move around on the pitch in front of the batsman. It's
your decision where you want the bowler to pitch the ball but don't wait
too long as the icon begins to waver. Button use depends on the type of
bowler. Fast/Medium Fast players use one button for a normal deliver and
one for a slower ball, while tapping the triangle increases his pace.
Swing bowlers use again use three face buttons but this time to in-swing,
out-swing and bowl a straight bowl. Other bowlers have googlies, flippers,
leg-spins, off spins and arm balls in their repertoire while the triangle
is used to vary speed and flight.

As mentioned fielding is quite difficult for beginners but it does add to
your involvement in the game when bowling. As soon as the ball has been
struck you take control of the nearest fielder with face buttons allowing
actions such as diving, sliding and selecting fielder. Once the ball has
been gathered the ball may be thrown to either wicket.

Batting involves lining up and striking the ball a cleanly as possible
with your repertoire of strokes. Once you have seen the spot where the
bowler is intending to pitch the ball your batsman can be lined up in the
correct stance. A quick glance at the on-screen radar allows you to check
the fielders position and then pick your spot by holding down the
directional pad. Choices of shot include a normal shot, defensive stroke,
duck/leave ball and hot an almighty six hit. As soon as the ball leaves
the bat the face buttons quickly switch configuration allowing the batsman
to start a run or turn around in mid-run.

That's basically it. Simple control system that only uses the face
buttons making BLC a game that everyone could pick up and play after a few
sessions in the nets.

Value for Money

A couple of weeks ago we received the complete version of this
stunning title. At first we were 'stumped' as to why the once
excellent Mega Drive version had taken so long to arrive on console
format. Was it going to be a lame 'duck'?

All was forgiven once the game was loaded up. We were completely 'bowled
over' by the almost TV quality graphics... it could almost have been 'maiden
'Heaven. In fact I would go as far as saying that it stretches the 'boundaries'
of the Playstation further than any other sports title seen to date.